Should We Rescue People Who Stayed?
When an area is told they have a mandatory evacuation, should rescue services be used to go get them after the fact? Now I know there will always be cases where someone may not have the resources to leave. If you are poor and don’t have a car and live in a rural area, you may not be able to leave. Or, you have an elderly family member who needs special care. There are organizations that can help before the event. There are very few natural disasters that don’t give a community at least a few day’s notice.
The vast majority of people who need to be rescued after a disaster are low income. Most have lived in their area their whole lives and feel like “I survived this before.” It is easy to have those thoughts. Most people don’t think bad stuff is going to happen to them.
The wild fires out in California are an example were very little warning is given. A guy I know got a call from his mom and sister who live next to each other. They were given just minutes notice to get out immediately as in life threatening fast. The ran out of their houses and got in their cars and just made it. They mean they just made it. His mom thought for sure she was not going to make due to the fires on the road. His mom and sister’s house when up in flame minutes after they left. Some did not make it even though they left when told.
It is easy to judge people who call to be rescued after a disaster, especially those who were told to leave. Each may have a reason, even if it is not a good one. Yes, we should rescue all we can.
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